Just got my Envy 17 on Tuesday of last week, it came with firmware version "365" (I am assuming the latest available for a recent build). Interesting that when I downloaded and installed the latest Intel SSD Toolbox (3.0.3), it detected that superfetch was enabled from the factory? Hmm...so Intel Toolbox recommended that this be disabled, which I promptly let it do automatically. However, haven't had any problems with the Intel 320 thus far. Windows Experience Index gives the Intel 320 a 7.6 on my Envy 17.

My 160GB 320 SSD drive just got hit by this bug and I had already applied the latest firmware ~7 months ago that was supposed to prevent this from happening. The drive now appears as BAD_CTX 130 and has 8mb capacity. FIX THIS !!!!

I forgot to descibe the symptoms. I was browsing some folders in windows explorer when that window stopped responding. I waited a minute and it was still unresponsive, so I opened a new one and the entire explorer (including taskbar) stopped responding and ctrl+alt+del / ctrl+alt+esc weren't doing anything, but notepad was working, I could type on it (I already had it open before this happened).

I noticed the HDD led was fully on, and waited until it turned off completely to reboot the computer by holding the power button. At the next boot the hdd was bricked.

I deployed eight or nine 320 series SSDs back in july/august '11. All were updateted to the 362 firmware. At this time three of these have failed, all during the last three weeks:

1. 320 120GB retail, broke two days ago. Was installed in a HP laptop running XPx86sp3. Drives showes excessive End-To-End errors in the SMART status and won't boot the OS. Data could be taken off altho the drive was reluctant to give it up. RMA was approved w/o hassle.

3. 320 120GB OEM, bricked about two weeks ago. Serial BAD_CTX 00000130 Was installed in a Shuttle Intel based system running W7U64sp1. The machine was running 24/7 unattended w/ very little disk activity.

No. 2 and 3 disks were restored w/ the secure erase feature of the SSD Toolbox (3.0.1). There was no apparent reason why the disks bricked, both machines are on UPSs and have new PSUs. All powersaving was turned off. As of now I don't know what I'm going to do with these...

FWIIW, since that message I had two more 320 drives go south on me (8MB bug.) Both are 80G drives (one retail, one OEM), both had XP x86 installed on them, very different hardware tho (one C2Q 775, one P4 system.) Both drives were reanimated using the SSD Toolbox (3.0.3) The only thing common in all 4 bricks I can see is that these systems were running more than 24hrs between reboots on average. I have two 320 SSDs left that haven't bricked so far, both are installed into systems that only run for a few hours per day. (Actually I just replaced one of those disks w/ a 520, hoping that it will be more reliable.)

From my experience with the 320 drives -- STAY AWAY !! Your system will brick, it's just a matter of time.

In Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Vista, Superfetch tracks and copies your most frequently used applications to system memory to reduce load times. Superfetch is based on the similar Prefetch feature available in Windows XP. Superfetch/Prefetch is not needed on an Intel SSD and should be disabled for optimal performance.

My 120Gb 320 Series SSD also just died on me with the same issue as everyone else. I have two of these drives that are no more than 3 months old retail boxed versions which supposedly have the fixed firmware. I just backed up everything from the other drive. Has anyone recieved a solution to this issue?

Update. As I still had the "8mb SSD" I decided to do a secure erase and it came back to life. In the meantime my notebooks motherboard died. I couldnt find the exact same motherboard so I got the next gen up which thankfully was still compatible with the chasis/cpu/ram. So I replaced the mb and also put in the ssd. Installed os and apps; Its been more than a month and have had no problems at all. Even had a sudden power loss when the battery came loose as I had not put the holding clips in corretectly when I took the notebook apart. It booted up fine.

Perviously the SSD died just a few days after installation. So either the secure erase did something or there was some issue with the older motherboard. I would suggest everyone here to try to put your ssd in a newer machine to see if it make a difference.

Still brickin' on my iMac. Try to avoid filling the drive. Problems appear at every level (hardware, OS) when boot drives are more than 75% full. Time machine saved my skin this time. To unfreeze the drive and do a secure erase, I booted XBMCbuntu from xbmc.org, and did suspend and resume. Big thanks go to a random guy on the internet for pointing that out! No other Linux livecd I could find would resume properly, meaning the alternative is to rip apart the iMac.

Ok. After reading all the post about ths issue and having 7 out of 120-1300 drives fail, finding out that they have about a 15% failure I am getting very nervous about the drives we have installed. I have sent an email support call to Intel. Our company is big enough that we can put a little weight behind it so we shall see what happens. I have saved this post to my favorites and will update as often as I hear from them. Wish me luck.

Recently I bought a 320 G3 SSD since I thought that the 8mb bug was resolved with the latest firmware. Now I see that it is not so.

I would appreciate if Intel would provide the definitive instructions on the drive maintenance in order for us to avoid the bug if this is possible.

I see that power saving options were in question but people who had disabled these options in the OS and were properly shutting down their computers still faced the bug. People with UPS and new power supplies also.

Last note was that the drive should not be filled more than 75% of its total capacity. Is this true?

I posted this elsewhere on the forum, but thought I'd add my voice to the collective outcry here.

I suffered the same fate. Original SSD failed, and returned for a new 160 GB Intel 320 SSD with updated firmware. This one just 8mb bricked on me. Initial symptoms: Computer froze when accessing files, mouse was still working but explorer was not responsive, ctrl-alt-delete did not work, the suddenly the mouse froze as well. Forced to hard reset. System recovered but simple access of files would cause the freeze again. Upon multiple resets (due to computer freeze during the Intel SSD toolbox SSD health diagnostic), the hard drive bricked into 8mb. This is a faulty product. I want a different model if I should have to return this drive. Intel shouldn't keep giving us the same model with the same problem again and again.

I just had my second repeat brick after the recent firmwareupdate. Win bluescreened (random error), after the reboot no disk was found.

As I have gone through all of this before, I was back to restoring an full disk image within 10 minutes, restore is on its way as I'm writing this. But this time, the most recent full disk backup I have was more than 6 weeks old. Thats more than a month of (noncritical, as those files are backed up redundantly) dataloss.

For those who don't already know how to "revive" the intel 320 after the 8mb error, get a "Parted Magic" bootdisk. Follow this tutorial ( How to securely erase an SSD drive | How To - CNET ) to secure erease the disk. Two modes will be supported (last query) use both, one after the other. Reboot the machine with Parted Magic, check if the disk is recognized as a "full size of your drive" disk.

Turn off your system, reboot with the bootdisk of whatever fulldisk backup software you used and restore the saved image.

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My last crash with the same error and also full data loss was on the 21.09.2011 (you can find the full report here: http://communities.intel.com/message/140827 ), so almost exactly nine months ago. Again, last time I also already had the newest firmwareupdate applied.

I'm confirming a repeat full data loss after the supposed "fix" of the problem. How Intel was able to negotiate this into anything else than a full blown media scandal, I don't know. That there is no fix up to this date, I do.

Don't buy Intel - they never addressed this error properly, never fixed the problem, but had articles in all media outlets that stated the opposite. Then closed down the old support threads, so that the whole thing could be forgotten.

Well...I have the issue solved, at least for me! The solution: I replaced my 320 series 300 GB SSD with a Samsung 830 series 256 GB SATA III drive. Performance is better...Magician software far more advanced than Intel toolbox and the drive doesn't have a history of failure!!! My Intel 320 series sits in a box, doing nothing. Total waste of $$$, but my data and reliability is far more important. For SSD...Intel won't see another penny of my hard earned cash.

Look around...great deals on Crucial and Samsung drives all over the place. Don't sit and wait for your drive to brick again...

I already did so, two days after I've posted the last reply, I also replaced the 320 for a Samsung 830 series. Happy ever after. Intel contacted me via PM a few days after my posting to get a few details on the setup I used (nothing special, business line laptop), but never followed up on the reply I gave them - so I have to assume that this was just another case of applied "make believe" to keep you occupied with the thought, that they would care.

They did so in the past, proactively managing expectations of other sufferers of their product, which then went nowhere, you can look it up in this very thread.

So yes the SSD branch for Intel is just a cash in scheme on a "reliability play" regarding their brand. Their products always were subpar, overpriced, and now in the second generation - faulty. Don't buy them.

They have succeeded in spinning the press, that the problem had been solved, and thats about all they put any worthwhile effort in. Oh yes, and btw. it still remains a lie.

Actually there is! As a 320 series owner and frequent purchaser at Newegg, Amazon and a few other etailer sites...I write reviews. I will, over the next few days, write reviews telling purchasers to avoid all Intel SSD's. The 520 series is also problematic. Intel did NOT fix the issues with the Sandforce controller...they are masking that as well...read the forums. I think it high time that we consumers tell the story and keep others from giving up their hard earned cash to faulty products. Shame on Intel